From the beginning, we want students to understand that words carry meaning, and morphology is a great way to help students deepen their understanding of language. We don't have to wait for this instruction to take place. Instead, we can embed morphology instruction into our lessons and help students with this right from the start.  

What is Morphology?

Morphology instruction, the study of words and how they are formed and used, is one of the elements of structured literacy. When we look at language through the lens of units of meaning within words, that is part of morphology. Dr. Louisa Moats notes, "Knowing morphemes enhances reading, vocabulary, and spelling." (Moats, 2000). 

When we work with morphemes, we work with the smallest unit of meaning that exists within our language. Morphemes can be single letters, or units of letters, that carry meaning and may or may not stand alone. 

The English language is considered a deep orthography. Morphology includes...

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I like to snap photos of small moments in lessons and reflect on all we've accomplished. It's like a window into learning. I believe in finding ways to have every task target and reinforce multiple aspects of learning. This little photo is a perfect example. 

There is so much happening in this simple snapshot of a spelling dictation within a lesson! While this portion of the lesson is generally 5-7 minutes, you can see how much is covered and reinforced - a lot!

Multi-Sensory Handwriting

Our goal is to always move towards the automaticity and fluidity of writing. We can promote the practice of letter formation strokes in a multi-sensory way (chalk, sand trays, play dough, sandpaper, shaving cream, etc.). Practicing letter formations, the same way, creates the muscle memory needed to make handwriting automatic.

When students have labored handwriting, it impacts their ability to focus on the higher-level writing tasks because...

When our children enter school, it is often filled with excitement and a desire to learn. Children, their families, and teachers begin their journey into education with the idea that reading will be unlocked as the lessons unfold. This reminds me of one of my favorite books, Thank You, Mr. Falker, by Patricia Pollacco. The book's family gathers around a little girl as she is about to embark on her year in kindergarten and shares how she will learn to chase knowledge through the pages of books. 

Reading is ingrained in us at a very young age with great importance. We know this is true for many reasons, but the student struggling with acquiring this skill may begin to feel anxiety and stress surrounding their struggles to unlock the words on the pages. 

These students see their peers choosing chapter books while they are still reading from an assigned book basket. They recognize that their peers complete writing assignments when they have just gotten their ideas...

This week, I'm sharing 7 tips to help children study at home. As a teacher or practitioner, you might not find this post relevant, yet it is. Not only will these tips help parents who read this post, but as educators, we can continue to support our students by suggesting these strategies be put in place at home as we work with families in establishing good study skills that align with students' needs and that move learning forward.

Use Time Wisely

Setting aside designated time to work on assignments, papers, etc. is a good habit for all students but can be especially needed for students who require extra time to process information or complete tasks. Setting a timer and working on an assigned task within that time frame can help keep students focused on the task at hand. If the timer dings before the job is complete, take a mini-break or continue working if appropriate.

Ask for Assignments Ahead of Time 

Just as our children may need extra time on assignments and tests...

Have you ever run up against something that isn't working? I've seen this in my students, other adults, and even myself. It is frustrating for all of us.

When this happens, it's helpful to take a step back. In our fast-paced world, we often miss the importance of stepping back, reflecting, analyzing, and altering approaches so that we may move forward. 

The other day one of my kids was trying to get into the barn to feed the horses. There is a latch and chain that secures one of the doors, and it needs to be unlatched before the door will open. I was in the garden, and I could hear loud banging as she tried to push the door open without unlocking the chain. 

I could hear her frustration. As I walked over to help her, I saw that she was just repeating the same movement of pushing the gate forward when she just needed to pull the gate back to unlock it. 

It made me think of our students and classrooms where we are sometimes just pushing forward, hitting a wall,...

As educators and parents, we often hyper-focus on the academic components surrounding reading and writing for dyslexic learners. This makes sense because dyslexia shows itself in the educational setting. And yet, there is so much more that dyslexia impacts. Unknown to most people, many impacts of dyslexia reside below the surface, hidden from view, yet their effects can be profound.

This posts' main image, , is a powerful reminder that what you see isn't the whole picture. This is especially true for our dyslexic learners. 

Some things I often hear:

"But he/she is doing so well!" 

"She is getting straight A's and is a model student." 

"I don't think that he needs all of these accommodations. He is doing fine."

I often hear this once a student has broken the code or is older when identified as having dyslexia. They have developed excellent coping skills, are getting good grades, and are considered on grade level...but these successes don't tell the whole...

When I was in high school, I decided that I wanted to become a competitive diver. I was fascinated with those brave athletes who would climb the tower to the ten-meter platform and hurl their bodies off the top with grace and enter the water with the quietest splash. They made it look so easy. 

I had played around a bit at the community pool and could do some of the introductory dives and flips, and yet, no one would expect me, as a novice diver, to climb to the top of the tower and be able to perform. 

Instead, I met with my coaches every day before school at 6 am to learn the necessary skills. I practiced the same dives repeatedly, improving based on the immediate corrective feedback provided by my coach. With each gained skill, another was added, allowing me to gain the skills required to advance to compete at the collegiate level. Without the foundational stepping stones to gain skills, this wouldn't have happened. 

Athletes are trained by establishing the...

One of the biggest questions that I get asked from parents and educators is about the link between reversals and dyslexia. 

Dyslexia is not a problem with vision. Many children reverse letters as they begin to learn to read and write. Some children may have vision issues as well, such as convergence insufficiency, but vision problems are not the primary cause of dyslexia and therefore treating dyslexia through approaches like colored lenses and eye exercises are not appropriate ways to treat dyslexia. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Council on Children with Disabilities, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology published a joint statement summarizing what is currently known about visual problems and dyslexia. The statement also covers what treatments are and are not recommended when diagnosing and treating vision problems, learning disabilities, and dyslexia.

You can read the full joint statement HERE.

Now, you may be wondering why some children...

Today's blog is part 3 of a 3 part series on word-building tasks you can incorporate into your lessons using your alphabet arc. If you missed part 1 or part 2 of the series, click each link to learn additional skills to build with the alphabet arc. 

Practice makes permanent! This saying is something that I come back to often as I reflect on my lessons. Am I providing enough practice for my students to solidify their learning and gain automaticity in word reading? We know that the brain needs to make new neural pathways to convert our oral language to the linguistic code as there is no specific reading center in the brain. It's hard work! 

Children who are learning to read need to spend time decoding - the practice of linking speech sounds to print. This decoding work is the heavy lifting that needs to occur during reading instruction to allow for the orthographic mapping process to occur. 

Orthographic mapping is the process that we use to become...

Today's blog is part 2 of a 3 part series on alphabet tasks you can incorporate into your lessons to build fluency, punctuation work, and alphabetizing skills. 

Hi friends. In part 1 of the series, we spoke about moving beyond the ABC song to help students recognize letters in print using the alphabet arc. Today, we will explore using the alphabet arc to build fluency knowledge, punctuation, and alphabetizing skills. If you missed part 1 of the series, click HERE to learn about sequencing tasks with the alphabet arc. 

So, What is Fluency?

Fluency is NOT the skill of reading fast! When we read fluently, we read words accurately and at a rate that allows proper expression, phrasing, and intonation. This ability to read well, or automatically, aids in deeper comprehension. 

When students struggle to read fluently, reading comprehension can be affected. This happens because the reader exerts a great deal of cognitive energy and focus on decoding the words,...